Yearly Archives: 2009

I love Ikea. We had such a great shopping trip there last weekend. I picked up dishtowels, napkins, lunch containers, twine and a potted plant for my new desk. Plus, my new favorite throw pillow: KETTY VÄRLD. It’s a hand-embroidered world map on soft blue fabric and signed by the artist. Also available in red…

Rob and I spent last evening at the hospital visiting Matt and Amber and their new twin boys. Delightful, sweet smelling babies that barely cried at all. Lucky parents! As usual, I brought my favorite hospital gift of gardenias floating in a small bowl. Thanks to the gals at Church Street Flowers for the hook…

Rob and I joined his parents up in Plumas County for a solar cook-off festival this weekend. Rob’s dad has recently taken up solar cooking and has built different types of sun-heated ovens based on his own designs. Unfortunately, the cook-off turned out to be more of an outdoor music festival. I get the appeal…

Katharine Hepburn is endlessly inspiring. Just thinking about her makes me want to wear collared shirts and wide leg trousers, buy a canoe and take up tennis. (Actually, I did ride an old tandem bike to work while wearing slacks and a blouse yesterday. That’s pretty good Hepburn.) Like my grandmother, Katharine was a talented…

French Connection has a sale on now with lots of light blousy tops for summer. I picked up a less expensive version of this top and this top is a solid lighter gray. Perfect with a pencil skirt or wide leg trousers for work. Pair with skinny jeans and t-strap sandals for weekends.

It’s not even been a full week yet, but things are going exceptionally well. The new job is GREAT! A leap very well taken. Oh, and I’m slowly getting over the bronchitis. Thanks for all your support! {lovely photo of San Francisco available on Etsy from Blonde Bandit}

That’s right, I haven’t done anything at all in several days. My brilliant plan to take a few days off in between jobs was thwarted by a very bad cold. I barely got in a few errands and a dinner party during the whole week. Adding insult to injury, my illness only got worse as…

Rob and I are hosting a dinner party tonight for a visiting friend from Japan. I tossed around ideas for classic “American” dishes (roast turkey, meatloaf, banana splits) and eventually settled on a menu that makes the most of California’s summer produce and relaxed spirit. Cocktails California white wine Pistachios in shell Dinner Pan-fried artichokes…

During family vacations at the beach, we usually made a trip to a deli in Montecito to pick up a variety of cold salads for one dinner. We each got to pick out a dish from the pristine glass display. It was so elegant! Ever since, summer salads have been a special fixation. I made…

Last night’s Ladies Activity Club party was a lot of fun! Margaret hosted us for a tutorial on henna tattoos. First, food! She put together a spread of iced mint tea, curry chicken skewers, hummus and tzatziki with pita bread and veggie samosas. Yum. After eating, we started on the henna. Margaret mixed up her…